New Essays Address Topics on Women, Priesthood, Mother in Heaven

[Just_A_Guy]

Link to LDS Newsroom coverage.  That page has links to all 13 essays the Church has released over the past couple of years.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Just_A_Guy

[The Folk Prophet]

I wonder if these 2 new essays will be as problematic and controversial as the past ones. As far as I can tell by reading either one of them, there's really nothing new there. But usually, amazingly, there still always seems to be a way that someone will interpret something in one of them that somehow causes some level of madness to ensue.

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

That's awesome.  I look forward to reading them.  I appreciate the efforts behind this.  

 

I realize that as TFP said, some people won't like it...but not everyone like the Savior, they "disliked" Him enough to kill Him....and He was perfect.  So we who are less than perfect can never expect to please everyone.  

 

I believe the essays have been and will continue to be helpful to many searching hearts.

[Guest]

The doctrine of a Mother in Heaven is a “distinctive belief among Latter-day Saints,” according to the essay. While the essay indicates this understanding is rooted in scriptural teachings, I observe that no other organized religions appear to have ever even entertained the idea (of Heavenly Mother) let alone incorporate it into their doctrines or traditions. This strikes me as curious given so many essential concepts that are common among religions. I suppose we could make a long list of common doctrines and distinctive doctrines, but this one seems to me to be fairly easily arrived at. Maybe my perception is only to be expected because the concept of Heavenly Mother belongs to the religion I embrace. On the other hand, maybe my observation is based upon too small a sample, and there really are a lot of individual believers out there.

Edited October 24, 2015 by UT.starscoper

[carlimac]

One argument I've heard that came to light again in recent weeks is that it's so unfair that we can't communicate with Heavenly Mother and this is because our leaders have made it so.  Some have used this as part of their excuse to leave the church. Well...I just wonder where they will find a church that "allows" more access to Heavenly Mother.   

 

 I really believe with all my heart that despite the subtle murmurings all the way to angry shouts by the detractors

at how unfair and biased our church is toward women, (the priesthood issue, women "disappear" with in the church- said by my own niece, the "outdate" patriarchal order of things, etc, etc, blah blah)  that we actually have a church that simply would fall apart without all the fabulous work done by the women. If I sit back and take stock, the cumulative good stuff done by women in the church is staggering. Can you imagine the church being staffed and run by men only??  Oh dear.  I love my husband and my male leaders, but without the women leadership and teachers and volunteers, things would come to a crawling halt. Or at best limp along in semi-chaos.   Like Elder Nelson said in his conf. talk, the church is in need of organized women who know how to get things done!

[AnnieCarvalho]

UT, the Catholics have a Heavenly Mother, Mary, mother of Jesus.